The collection of articles in 'The Hebrew Language in the Era of Globalization' is designed for researchers and teachers of Hebrew in Educational frameworks, and allows for a comprehensive study of varied aspects of the Hebrew language. The volume brings to center stage research issues regarding Hebrew in its cultural, social, and linguistic contexts; discusses the state of Hebrew in Israel and in the world; and looks into current curricula for the teaching of Hebrew as a Second Language. The volume is unique in that it combines theory and practice; deals with Hebrew as a first, second, and heritage language; and relates to learners of different ages and from a number of different populations – native speakers of Hebrew, the Arab sector in Israel, and Jewish communities in the Diaspora. The volume is comprised of three sections. The first section covers the following topics: The state of Hebrew in the context of Israel-Diaspora relations; Hebrew in European and American universities; the dilemma of the language of prayer; challenges confronting the modern reader of a classical text; linguistic and socio-linguistic trends in modern Hebrew; achievements of new immigrant students in academic Hebrew; the theoretical basis for the development of curricula for the teaching of Hebrew as a first and second language; and a model for a language policy in a multilingual and multi-cultural society such as Israel. The second section presents the new curriculum for learners of Hebrew in the Arab sector as well as curricula for the teaching of Hebrew in the Diaspora for kindergarten children, elementary school students and junior-high and high school students. The third section expresses concern about the future of Hebrew both in Israel and in the Diaspora in the era of globalization.

An important feature of this book on Language, Identity and Immigration is its broad representation of different disciplines, scholars, research methodologies and international perspectives. Such variation and plurality further enhance the overall complexity of global migration, while focusing on the central role of language in the identity crises caused by immigration. The volume consists of five different parts with the first two being devoted to the process of acculturation, the next two to processes of language maintenance and developing bilingualism, and the last focusing on the larger social context. The sixteen articles included in the book are mostly based on presentations given at the international conference on Immigration, Language Acquisition and Patterns of Social Integration, held at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the summer of 1994, under the auspices of the NCJW Research Institute for Innovation in Education.